You will never need another brownie recipe after this one.
I won’t even distract you with any other words in this post so the main point doesn’t get lost. And the main point is that you’ve got to try this brownie recipe!
If you love rich, gooey, chewy and chocolaty brownies – the kind that make milk a necessity – this is the brownie recipe for you. You do not need to add the peanut butter mixture, but I think it was a really yummy addition to an already perfect brownie. This original recipe appears to be a Julia Child recipe, but it seems to have been revised from where I found it. And then I made more adaptations. I’d love to think it started with her, so I’ll just call it Julia Child’s Amazing Brownie Recipe.
Enjoy!
Julia Child's Amazing Brownie Recipe
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces unsalted butter
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate coarsely chopped
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped (Iused chocolate chips)
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs room temperature
Optional Peanut Butter Filling
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter room temperature
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°.
- Sift flour and salt together; set aside.
- *Optional step for peanut butter filling: With electric mixer, beat peanut butter, powdered sugar, and butter until very creamy, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
- To make the brownies, melt chocolate with butter in double boiler, stirring frequently. Alternatively, you can melt in microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between. After dissolving, add 1 cup of the sugar to the mixture; stir to blend. Add vanilla and stir.
- Pour the mixture into a large bowl.
- In stand mixing bowl whisk together the remaining cup of sugar and the eggs until just combined.
- Little by little, pour half of the sugar and eggs into the chocolate mixture, stirring gently but constantly with a rubber spatula so that the eggs don't set from the heat.
- Using whisk attachment, whip the remaining sugar and eggs until they are thick, pale, and doubled in volume, about 3-4 minutes.
- Using rubber spatula, delicately fold the whipped eggs into the chocolate mixture.
- When the eggs are almost completely incorporated, gently fold in the dry ingredients.
- Pour and scrape the batter in to an unbuttered 9-inch square pan. Note: I sprayed with a little baking spray just to make sure they didn't stick.
- *Optional step: drop teaspoonfuls of peanut mixture on top of the batter and throughout the pan.
- Bake the brownies for a minimum of 45 minutes, during which time they will rise a little and the top will turn dark and dry.
- Cut into the center at about the 30-minute mark to see how the brownies are progressing: they are perfect when they are just barely set and still a little gooey. Note: Some people like them a little less gooey. If so, bake an extra few minutes.
- Cool the brownies in the pan on a rack.
- Optional: sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Hi,
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I have spent the last week trying to recreate the taste of a brownie that I made in 1996, and I have baked 6 brownie recipes since Sunday. I was beginning to become rather discouraged, but then I saw your recipe today I had a sense of hope, 1) from the beautiful picture and 2) it was Julia Child’s recipe. The brownies are so wonderful, they leave you speechless. When I fed it to my husband I said, “Your going to need a minute after you take a bite.” Food should always taste this good! I am so happy to finally have the recipe for the perfect brownie, at least in my opinion. And this time I won’t lose it. Thanks for all the work you put into your blog and for posting recipes worth posting!!
What a sweet comment! I am so glad you enjoyed it!!
These were fantastic but 22-26 minutes wasn’t nearly enough time in the oven. I had to bake mine for about 50 minutes just to get them to set. Just fyi for anyone else trying this recipe.
For people who have made them, do you recommend with or without the peanut butter filling?
Thanks!
Hi Jessica,
I’ve heard equal enthusiasm for both versions! 🙂
Jodi
Am I reading this correctly? Pour the brownie batter in a 9″ pan and then drop teaspoons of peanut butter mixture on top of that?
That’s correct!
I don’t have a whisk attachment for my mixer. Should I whisk by hand or whip with my mixer.
Hi there – I would use an electric mixer. Of course if you don’t have one, then beat by hand with whisk. Enjoy!
What can be substituted for eggs?
Sorry, I’m really not sure. I did find this resource about baking without eggs. Hope this helps.http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/955371/baking-without-eggs
Good evening. Found your blog post via Pinterest. Would I be able to substitute the peanut butter with another? My youngest is allergic to peanuts. Thank you.
Hi there! I’ve made these without PB more than with. So I’d recommend just leaving it out. 😊
GG
These were absolutely the best brownies I’ve ever had!! I’ve been “perfecting” my own recipe for years. Whipping the egg mixture adds so much to the recipe. I made the brownies about 7 hours ago and my boys have eaten every last one of them!!
Oh yay! So glad you love them too! I need to make them again soon!
I just deleted all my other brownie recipes. Due to time and ingredient constraints, I used all 85% chocolate and used the one-bowl method (no beating the eggs separately. The brownies were glorious. This is the only brownie recipe for me! I am looking forward to trying the peanut butter version next.) Thank you.
Yessss! Now I need to make them again! 😊